TCF Canada for Quebec's PEQ and Arrima: Which Test and Level

Last updated: 27 August 2026 · 7 min read

Candidates researching Quebec's immigration routes tend to land on two names — PEQ and Arrima — without a clear sense of which test either one actually wants, or what level of French clears the bar. Both questions have real, if different, answers, and neither is answered by assuming Quebec's requirement matches the NCLC 7 threshold that dominates federal Express Entry content.

Two different Quebec doors: PEQ vs Quebec's skilled worker selection program (Arrima)

The Programme de l'expérience québécoise (PEQ) and Quebec's skilled worker selection program (the former Programme régulier des travailleurs qualifiés, or PRTQ, now the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés, or PSTQ) — the program that uses Quebec's Arrima expression-of-interest platform — are separate Quebec selection pathways with separate eligibility criteria. PEQ is built around candidates already established in Quebec, either through qualifying temporary work or a Quebec diploma; the skilled worker selection program instead scores and invites candidates through Arrima the way Express Entry does federally, but under Quebec's own criteria grid. See our TCF Canada vs TCF Québec guide for how Quebec's selection process differs from federal Express Entry more broadly — this guide goes one level deeper into these two specific mechanisms.

PEQ's French requirement: oral and written levels, qualitatively

Quebec's published French-knowledge page for the Programme de l'expérience québécoise sets French requirements on Quebec's own Échelle québécoise scale, not on NCLC. For the temporary-foreign-worker stream, oral French knowledge is the binding requirement. For the Quebec-graduate stream, both oral and written French are assessed, with the written bar set below the oral one. Practically, that means an applicant coming through PEQ needs to demonstrate confident, upper-intermediate spoken French — well beyond survival-level conversation — while the written expectation, where it applies, sits a step below that. The same page also sets a distinctly lower oral level for an accompanying spouse than for the principal applicant. Quebec's page is the authority on the exact numbers for your stream and your situation, since these requirements have shifted before and can shift again.

Arrima and the skilled worker selection program: French as a threshold to be invited, not just scored

Quebec's skilled worker selection program works differently from Express Entry's CRS bonus model. Rather than French adding points on top of an existing score, Quebec has moved toward treating a minimum oral French level as a gating criterion for being invited to apply through Arrima in the first place — described qualitatively as a solid upper-intermediate spoken level on Quebec's own scale. That is a different mechanism from a CRS-style bonus: clearing it does not earn extra points so much as it decides whether you receive an invitation to apply at all. Quebec introduced this gating criterion in an announcement in 2023, replacing a model where French only added points on top of an existing score, and the exact scope of who it applies to has been described in more than one way across Quebec's communications since. If you are relying on how the program worked in an earlier invitation round, that assumption may already be out of date — Quebec's own announcement page, linked above, is the source to check for the current wording and any exceptions.

Does TCF Canada count for these — or do you need TCF Québec?

Neither PEQ nor the skilled worker selection program is asking for TCF Canada by default — both sit under Quebec's own selection process, which is why Quebec's published accepted-test list matters more here than the federal one. As covered in our TCF Canada vs TCF Québec guide, Quebec's list does name TCF Canada as one of several accepted tests for its skilled worker selection program, alongside TCF Québec and TCF tout public — but that is a specific accommodation for that program, not proof that every Quebec pathway treats the two tests interchangeably. PEQ and Arrima do not necessarily follow the same rule as each other or as the federal side, so which accepted tests apply is a question of your specific stream, not a blanket answer.

The Échelle québécoise vs NCLC: different scales, don't convert by eye

There is no official conversion table between Quebec's Échelle québécoise and the NCLC scale that TCF Canada results are reported on for federal purposes — see how TCF Canada scores convert to NCLC for how the federal scale works. A given Échelle québécoise level and a numerically identical-looking NCLC level are not the same measurement, built from the same test, or guaranteed to represent the same real-world ability. Do not assume, for instance, that an Échelle québécoise level 7 requirement is satisfied by "NCLC 7 on paper" — how your specific test result is actually read by Quebec's process is what settles that, not an implied equivalence.

Picking the right test before you register

Start from the specific Quebec pathway, not from the test name. If you are pursuing PEQ, read Quebec's French-knowledge requirement page for your stream — temporary foreign worker or Quebec graduate — and confirm both which abilities are assessed and which tests Quebec currently accepts for that stream. If you are pursuing the skilled worker selection program through Arrima, treat the oral French threshold as a condition of being invited at all, rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere, including this guide. If you are weighing PEQ or Arrima against a federal route instead, our Express Entry pathways guide lays out the separate NCLC thresholds FSW, CEC and PNPs set, and TCF vs TEF Canada covers the other federally accepted French test if TCF isn't the one your situation points to. Only once you know which pathway, which scale and which accepted-test list actually govern your application does it make sense to book a test date — TCF Canada if the pathway accepts it and you are aiming federally as well, TCF Québec if Quebec's page requires it for your stream. A realistic TCF Canada mock exam is a reasonable way to gauge your current French level either way, once you know which threshold you are actually being measured against.

Practice the real thing

SailTCF is AI-powered TCF Canada preparation built in English for English speakers: realistic practice across all four skills, with AI-assisted feedback and estimated NCLC bands for writing and speaking. Start free with SailTCF. SailTCF scores are practice estimates, not official TCF results.

SailTCF is an independent exam-preparation tool. We are not affiliated with IRCC, France Éducation international, CCI Paris Île-de-France, TCF Canada or TEF Canada, we are not immigration consultants, and nothing here is immigration advice. Score conversions, exam formats and points rules change — always confirm the current requirements against the official sources above before making a decision about your application.